


Heart of an Angel

by teddiehtet



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angel Sougo trying to do his job, Guardian Angel Sougo, Human Aya, Human Tamaki, M/M, Not Kujou Aya but Yotsuba Aya, Sougo lives with Tsumugi and Otoharu, Tsumugi and her dad runs a flower shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-12-30 07:19:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddiehtet/pseuds/teddiehtet
Summary: When Sougo is tasked with the job of being Aya Yotsuba’s guardian angel, he decides to try an experiment- become temporarily human in order to have a better connection with her. What he failed to factor in to the equation were:1.) Aya’s older brother, Tamaki.2.) How spending so much time with the siblings would affect his heart.3.) How being human would subject him to experience many firsts…such as a first love.(A Dear MEZZO Exchange Fic for @yumeIove, on Twitter!)





	Heart of an Angel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [america_chavez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/america_chavez/gifts).



 “So, this is Aya Yotsuba?”

A small smile spread across Sougo’s face as he observed the 3 year old waddling around. His superior, and fellow guardian angel, Banri, nodded in confirmation.

“You’ll be looking after Aya-chan for 15 more years. You’re used to this job now, right, Sougo-kun? No need for me to help you lay out a plan?”

Sougo shook his head. “I’ll be okay, Banri-san. I already have a rough idea of how I’ll look after her.” As his eyes trailed after Aya, they fell upon another child, a boy who seemed to be Aya’s older brother. Aya fell into her older brother’s open arms, and both children erupted in a fit of giggles.

“Are you wondering why Tamaki-kun doesn’t have an assigned guardian angel?” Banri took the words right out of Sougo’s mouth.

“That’s… exactly it,” Sougo admitted. “I don’t sense any one of us guarding Aya’s older brother.”

“He’s one of the rare cases,” Banri explained. “Either we couldn’t find a guardian who was compatible with the human, or the human didn’t need a guardian at all.”

“Is that really okay?” Sougo asked, concerned.

“We have had cases like this in the past, and all them have lived on successfully,” Banri reassured. “I’m sure Tamaki-kun will be fine. I can see you’re already worried, Sougo-kun. You have a very kind heart.”

Sougo gave Banri a half smile. “I’ll do my best to be a good guardian for Aya-chan.”

“I’m sure you’ll be an amazing guardian,” Banri confidently stated. “You protected your past charges splendidly after all.”

A nervous laugh escaped Sougo’s lips. “You praise me too much, Banri-san.”

“It’s well deserved,” Banri replied. “Oh, we should probably get going. Will it be okay if you start the job sometime during this week, Sougo-kun?”

“Of course!” Sougo replied enthusiastically. “Oh, before we leave, may I ask a question?” Banri nodded to give the go ahead. “Do you know if the president is still spending most of his time at the flower shop that his wife used to run?”

“Ah…” Banri started. “He is. Is there something you would like to talk to him about? His being away from the job hasn’t impacted you or your friends has it?”

Sougo held up his hands and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. From what I’ve seen, everything has been going smoothly, as if he never took a break. It’s very understandable though, that he would want to stay in the human world for now. He can’t really leave his daughter behind can he?”

“You’re right. The president would never abandon his daughter,” Banri agreed. “I offered to help take care of her as well, but instead, he put me in charge of more things while he’s gone. What was it that you wanted to ask of the president though, Sougo-kun?”

“Oh! I was wondering if it would be possible for me to disguise myself as a human child? And possibly… pretend to be the president’s relative…?”

Banri raised an eyebrow. “This is part of your plan to look over Aya-chan?”

Sougo nodded. “I know that in the past, I used to just follow my charges around and never reveal myself, but I wanted to try and actually communicate with my charges from now on. I thought that the best way would be to be a human child myself, meet my charge, and look after them not only as a fellow human, but also as a guardian angel when they return to their own homes.”

“Hmm,” Banri hummed. “That’s an interesting approach. Like you said, normally we wouldn’t reveal ourselves to our charges, but if you think this might work out, I say go for it.”

Sougo chuckled. “Banri-san, you give me too much freedom.”

“No no, you have an excellent reputation, Sougo-kun. I trust your instincts,” Banri replied. He pat Sougo’s shoulder a couple of times. “I’ll relay your message to the president, and afterwards, I’ll let you know what he says. We can schedule a time to meet with him as well. I wish you luck on your new charge.”

Sougo bowed his head slightly. “Thank you. You’ve helped me a lot as well, Banri-san.”

“It’s always my pleasure,” Banri spoke, with an energetic smile. Then, with a jolt, he remembered, “Ah, I completely lost track of time. I have another appointment soon, so I’ll be going ahead first, Sougo-kun.” With a wave, Banri floated away and disappeared through the walls of the house.

Sougo stayed for a few more minutes, observing Aya and Tamaki as they played together. _“I hope everything will go well,”_ Sougo prayed as he prepared to take his leave as well.

“Um, who are you?”

In mid-hop, Sougo jerked to a stop. He turned around to see Tamaki staring straight at him. Confused, Sougo looked over his back to see if there was any other human behind him, only to be greeted with the wall. He turned back to stare at Tamaki, whose gaze still hasn’t strayed.

 _“There’s no way a human should be able to see me in this form.”_ Sougo pointed at himself and cocked his head in question.

“Yeah, who are you?”

The guardian angel started to panic. What did this mean? Why was a human able to see him even though he made sure to keep himself hidden in his guardian form? Is Aya able to see him too? Does angel blood run in their family?

“Onii-chan? Who you talk to?”

Sougo’s question was answered by Aya’s own question directed at her brother. Tamaki pointed at Sougo and answered, “Him, Aya. He’s right there. He has wings!”

“Win...gs..?” Aya merely gave Tamaki a confused raise of her eyebrows before losing interest and waddling back to her toys.

Sougo sighed. Great. How was he supposed to get out of this without raising more suspicion in Tamaki? Should he just straight up tell Tamaki that he’s Aya’s guardian angel? From Sougo’s experience, human kids tend to believe in imaginary friends, so why not guardian angels? Sougo brought up a hand to massage his temples as he continued his train of thought. If he were to reveal his real identity to Tamaki, that would mean that he was breaking his own rule of not letting humans know of guardian angels’ existence.

 _“But Tamaki-kun is still young,”_ Sougo reasoned. _“He most likely won’t remember seeing me anyway. Human children’s attention spans are very short, if I remember correctly. Plus, when they grow up, they’ll grow out of the idea of having imaginary friends or guardian angels, so...just for this time, I’ll go with it.”_ Thus, Sougo decided to reveal that he was Aya’s guardian angel.

Tamaki’s eyes lit up instantly. “Woah!! Aya has a guardian angel? That’s so cool!”

“Yes, but unfortunately I have to leave now. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Wait!” Tamaki tried to stop Sougo by reaching out and grabbing a part of his clothing. To Sougo’s surprise, yet again, Tamaki actually managed to take a hold of him. “Do I have one too?”

Sougo was in a pickle. He could tell Tamaki the truth (which was what he almost always stuck to) and say no, but at the same time break his anticipating heart, or...he could tell a white lie (something he would prefer not to do usually) and save the poor boy the dejection.

“Well, of course you do!” The words were out of Sougo’s mouth before he could stop himself. “Everyone has a guardian angel.”

A wide, bright smile spread across the Tamaki’s face, lighting up his blue eyes as well. Seeing how hopeful the young boy was, Sougo felt as if a knife stabbed him through the heart. He mentally apologized multiple times, hoping that the human child would soon forget about this conversation.

“Wooowww that’s super cool! Can I see him too?”

“Um…” Sougo hesitated. “I’m going to tell you a secret okay, Tamaki-kun?”

“Woah! You know my name too!”

Sougo nervously laughed. “I am an angel after all…” Sougo then kneeled down to talk to Tamaki properly. “Your guardian angel’s not here right now, because most of the time, we don’t reveal ourselves to you.”

“Re...veal..?” A confused Tamaki repeated.

“We don’t show ourselves,” Sougo rephrased, making his speech easier for Tamaki to understand. “

 _“...Sougo, what have you done…”_ Sougo slapped himself on the side of his head multiple times in regret. _“You just gave the child false hope. Ah… This is already going so badly. The best outcome I can pray for is that Tamaki-kun forgets all about this conversation.”_ A deep sigh escaped Sougo’s lips. _“If only I had Banri-san’s power to erase memories. If I asked, maybe Banri-san would help me.”_ Sougo clenched his fists. _“No, I’ve already asked Banri-san for help too many times. Sougo Osaka, you started this, and you will finish it by your own hands.”_

With his resolve steeled, and his plan as Aya’s guardian angel set, in two leaps Sougo jumped through the wall and and flew back to his current home.

* * *

“Sougo-kun? The president said he’d be happy to help you with your task. Shall we arrange a date to meet with him?”

“Thank you very much, Banri-san! I really appreciate you and the president’s help! Any day is okay with me. When are you and the president free?”

.

.

.

“My name is Sougo Osaka. It’s nice to meet you!” 5 year old Sougo finished, beaming. He looked around the class, scanning the faces of all the human children.

The teacher then took over, “Sougo-kun is Tsumugi-chan’s cousin. He just moved here some days ago. Let’s all give him a warm welcome!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sougo!” A uniform chant erupted from the children.

Sougo was relieved. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to watch over Aya as closely as he would’ve liked to, but he was pleasantly surprised that he was able to do so quite well.

-

_“Hmm, if you decided to be Aya-chan’s age, you probably won’t be able to have as much freedom as a human child. What if you choose the same age as her older brother? At least, as a 5 year old, you won’t arouse suspicion if you’re by yourself in the neighborhood,” Banri advised._

_-_

And thus, Sougo ended up heeding Banri’s advice. He didn’t mind at all, since the school Aya was in the same building as well, just a couple of rooms away. On his first day, the other children welcomed Sougo warmly, and all bombarded him with questions during their breaks.

“Where did you come from?”

“Do you have any brother or sisters?”

“So do you live together with Tsumugi-chan? That’s so lucky! You’re surrounded by flowers all the time!”

“Tsumugi-chan’s papa’s so nice! How is living with Tsumugi-chan and her papa?”

 _“Children are extremely curious beings,”_ thought Sougo, as he tried to answer the barrage of questions.

Once the children were either satisfied or became distracted by something else, they trickled away form Sougo one by one, and went back to playing with either their friends or toys, or rummaging in their bag to find a snack. Sougo sank back into his seat and giggled. Since there was still some time remaining before the break ended, he went to one of the bookshelves and searched for a book to keep him company.

“Sou-chan.”

From his crouching position, Sougo looked up. There was Aya’s older brother, Tamaki, crouching down right beside him. Pleasantly surprised that Tamaki approached him first (and with a nickname too!), Sougo turned his full attention on the boy.

“Yes?”

“You’re living with Mugicchi’s family right?”

Sougo cocked his head to the side with a questioning look. _Mugicchi?_ “Oh! Do you mean Tsumugi-san?”

“Yeah, you’re living with her and her dad at their flower shop?”

Sougo nodded. “It’s really nice living with them. I have a lot of fun!” Tsumugi-san’s-- I mean, my uncle is a very nice person.”

“Mmm, that sounds nice,” Tamaki muttered. “Do you know if…”

“...if?”

Tamaki scratched his head, hesitant. “Well, I have a little sister. She’s two years younger than me.”

“Oh? You have a little sister? It must be nice! I don’t have a brother or a sister.”

“Aya’s a good girl. She’s the best little sister!” Tamaki gushed. “That’s why...I wanted to take her to Mugicchi’s family’s flower shop. Whenever Aya and I go shopping with mom, we see the shop, and Aya always looks at it but doesn’t tell mom that she wanted to go.”

“I think Tsumugi-san and uncle would love it if you and Aya-chan visits.”

“Ah!” Tamaki suddenly cried, startling Sougo a little. “I didn’t say my name! I forgot! I’m Tamaki. Tamaki Yotsuba.”

Stifling a laugh, Sougo replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Tamaki-kun. Let’s talk to Tsumugi-san and when uncle comes to pick us up, we all can go together.”

* * *

“Tamaki-kun, do you and Aya-chan, want to come over today too?” Sougo asked as he put away his belongings.

“Yeah! Aya wanted to play with you and Mugicchi and the flowers again.”

From that day on, Tamaki and Aya would follow Sougo and Tsumugi back to their house several times a week, with the permission of Tsumugi’s dad and Tamaki’s mom. Since they lived in the same neighborhood, Tamaki’s and Aya’s mom was fine with her children’s request. Sougo was also very pleased with this outcome. Not only was he able to look after Aya more often as a human, but he was also able to befriend her and Tamaki, on top of being able to bond with Tsumugi more as her ‘cousin’. Since Tamaki’s generally well liked among his classmates, at school, Sougo managed to befriend others through Tamaki as well.

Days passed, then months, and then years. Tamaki, Sougo, and Tsumugi graduated elementary school, and ended up attending the same middle school. Once Aya graduated elementary school as well, she followed her brother and Sougo to the same middle school.

During all of their middle school years, although they were all in different classes, the four of them stayed inseparable. However, their close bonds with each other didn’t stop them from making new friends either.

Sougo, trying to not forget his initial job, tried to spend as much time as possible with Aya and Tamaki. They would spend their breaks together, and although they all may not have joined the same clubs, Tamaki and Aya would still go over to Sougo and Tsumugi’s home to either hang out, do homework together, or even help out with the flower shop.

Just like that, the days passed. Not only was Sougo able to watch over Aya and help her thrive, but he was also able to become one of her and her brother’s closest friends.

.

.

.

“Banri-san, long time no see,” Sougo greeted. Banri gracefully landed in Sougo’s room and exchanged a short hug with the young man.

“Sougo-kun, I’m sorry I haven’t visited you in so long. But, you don’t need me to keep supervising you. I can tell you’re looking after Aya-chan well,” Banri praised. “It looks like you’ve been watching over her brother too.”

“I just enjoy spending time with them,” Sougo replied. “Sometimes I even forget that I’m supposed to be Aya-chan’s guardian angel. Being a human and living out my days with them is… it’s really enjoyable.”

A small, somber smile spread across Banri’s lips. “That’s what I came to ask you about. Do you think you’ll be able to let go of Aya-chan once your duty is over?”

Sougo’s eyes trailed away from Banri’s gaze as he worried his lower lip.

_When the time came for him to remove himself from Tamaki’s and Aya’s lives, would he be able to?_

The question that hovered over his conscience ever since a year before now gnawed on his mind.

“Aya-chan’s 13 right now isn’t she?” Banri continued. “In 5 more years, your job will be done. I don’t oppose the idea of you watching over her as a human, but getting too attached _was_ one of the things I was afraid of. I know that years ago, I told you that I trust you, Sougo-kun, and I still fully do. I’m not concerned about your ability to do your job. I’m concerned about you. When your job is over, and the time to part with Aya-chan arrives, do you think you’ll be able to take yourself out of their lives completely, and still be okay afterwards?”

_“... I don’t think Aya-chan’s the only one I need to distance myself from, Banri-san…”_

.

.

.

“Sou-chan? Souuu-chan?” Tamaki waved his hand in front of Sougo’s face. When that didn’t work, he pressed his finger on Sougo’s cheek. “You look suuuper focused. Is there something on your mind?”

Snapping out of stupor, Sougo turned his attention away from his food to focus on Tamaki. “Oh, sorry, Tamaki-kun. Were you saying something?”

“You just looked really out of it today,” Tamaki commented. “Are the high school entrance exams stressing you out?”

“Ahaha, not necessarily,” Sougo nervously laughed. “I’m more worried about you. How are you studies going? Do you think you’ll be ready for the entrance exams soon? If you need more help, I can come over to your house more often too.”

Tamaki pouted. “This isn’t about me, Sou-chan, I asked you first. What’s bothering you? Is someone at school bugging you?”

Sougo shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just…” Sougo’s voice trailed off and took a softer tone. “I’m just thinking how nice it would be if you, me, Aya-chan, Tsumugi-san, and all of our other friends could be together for a really long time.”

“We will!” Tamaki declared, with confidence. “Even if we get into different high schools, even when we graduate high school and either go on to college or get jobs, we’ll all still be friends. Don’t worry, Sou-chan, you’ll always have me and Aya.”

Noticing how Sougo still had a slightly somber expression, Tamaki playfully ruffled Sougo’s hair.

“T-Tamaki-kun--?”

“Don’t look so sad, Sou-chan. We’re only in our last year of middle school; we’re still pretty young!”

“What if something unexpected comes up in the future?” Sougo questioned. “There’s no way we can predict what’ll happen.”

“But we’re living in the present right now,” Tamaki replied. With one hand, he smoothed out the strands of Sougo’s hair that had gotten messed up due to Tamaki’s ruffling. “I think it’s best to enjoy our lives right now than worry about whatever’s gonna happen in the future. I know you think ahead a lot, Sou-chan, and it’s a very ‘you’ thing to do. But you should relax sometimes.”

Sougo merely hummed and unconsciously leaned his head into Tamaki’s hand. “And that’s why you’re here?”

“Right!” Tamaki agreed. His hand moved from Sougo’s head to his cheek, giving it a playful tug. “You can count on me to always make sure you relax once in a while.”

Faced with Tamaki’s blinding smile and playful pinch, Sougo’s heart skipped a beat.

_Ah… Banri-san, I may be getting too deep into acting as a human..._

* * *

“Congratulations on getting accepted to the same high school, onii-chan and Sougo-san!” Aya congratulated, beaming with pride. She held out her hands, and sitting on each of her palms was a keychain- one bearing the musical symbol “mp”, decorated with a beautiful light blue rhinestone, and another one with “mf”, sporting a pretty light purple rhinestone. “I got these for you two, as a present!”

“Thanks Aya!” Tamaki took the “mp” keychain that his sister handed, and brought her in for a hug.

“You’re welcome, onii-chan!” Aya chirped. Once Tamaki let go of her, she turned to Sougo and gave him his gift.

“Thank you so much, Aya-chan.” Sougo plucked the keychain from her palm and leaned down to envelop her in a hug as well. “You’re very thoughtful.”

“Both of you worked really hard, and your graduation’s coming up next! Hehe, I also wanted to give you both something like a keychain back since you got me that four leaf clover keychain when I graduated elementary school,” Aya explained as she wrapped each of her arms around Sougo’s and Tamaki’s waists, bringing all three of them into one big group hug. “I hope you like my gifts, onii-chan and Sougo-san.”

“It’s a lovely gift, Aya-chan,” Sougo replied. “I love it, thank you so much.”

“I’ll love anything you give, Aya,” Tamaki warmly answered. “You’re an amazing little sister.”

* * *

Before anyone knew it, graduation was just around the corner, and Sougo and Tamaki had taken their first step into high school. Both of them decided to go to the same high school, which was close to their old middle school, and even ended up being placed in the same class. Tsumugi, however, ended up getting into a different school.

They quickly settled into a schedule, and made it a routine to pick up Aya when they were done with their classes, meet up with Tsumugi at the train station, and walk back home together.

Since Aya was already almost 14, Sougo decided that, like his past charges, he would try to start distancing himself from her. As her guardian angel, he knows that although it’s best to keep a close eyes on his charge until she turns 18, Sougo had always wanted the people he looked after to have the freedom to be their own person. At 14, Aya shouldn’t need his guidance as much anymore.

“Aya-chan’s growing up fast, isn’t she?”

Sitting in their second year classroom, Sougo leaned forward, laying his upper body on his desk. Tamaki turned back in his seat and slung his legs to the side, effectively hugging the chair between his legs. “I totally agree. Her 14th birthday’s come and gone, and before we know it, she’s going to join us in high school.”

“It feels like only yesterday that I met you and Aya-chan when we were in kindergarten,” Sougo reminisced fondly.

Without a word, Tamaki stood up, turned his chair around, sat back down, and leaned his head down on Sougo’s desk, mirroring Sougo’s position.

Sougo blinked a few times, slightly surprised by Tamaki’s proximity. Both of them stayed still, unmoving. The blue of Tamaki’s eyes accentuated his sharp gaze, almost as if he could see right into Sougo’s soul.

_Ba-thump_

Again, his heart was reacting. Sougo felt his hands starting to get clammy.

 _“Human feelings,”_ he deduced. It felt like his heart was doing flip flops inside his chest. He gulped. Sougo has been around humans long enough to know what he was falling into.

“Sou-chan?” Tamaki called. “Are you okay? You look a bit panicked.”

“Ah, I’m okay,” Sougo quickly covered. “I was just thinking about how time flew by so fast.”

“It did,” Tamaki agreed. “I remember too, when I first met you when we were only five. We’ve come a long way, huh?”

With the tips of his fingers, Tamaki lightly brushed away a few strands of Sougo’s bangs that had fallen in front of his eyes.

_Ba-thump_

The chatter of his classmates sounding like a distant murmur, a mesmerized Sougo could do nothing but keep his gaze locked on Tamaki’s smiling face. He pressed his lips together in a tight line, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Woah... I know a lot of people probably told you this before, but you’re really pretty, Sou-chan.”

_Ba-thump, Ba-thump_

Now Sougo could _definitely_ feel the heat. “Wh-- Tamaki-kun, what are you saying all of a sudden…”

“I’ve never really looked at you this close before,” Tamaki continued. He moved his hand slightly so that he was pinning Sougo’s stray bangs to one side. “You have suuuper pretty eyes.”

“Wh- Huh?” Sougo sputtered. Panicked, he pushed himself off the desk and sat straight back up. Still with a flushed face, he cleared his throat and attempted to compose himself. “Th-Thank you for the compliment, Tamaki-kun. But...why so suddenly…”

Still leaning on the desk, Tamaki folded his arms underneath his chest and rested his chin on his forearms. He lifted his gaze, once again re-establishing eye contact with Sougo.

“I just felt like saying it.”

* * *

To Sougo, the teacher’s voice was nothing but a distant buzz. Blocking out the lecturer’s voice as well as his surroundings, Sougo had his eyes fixed on Tamaki’s back. The sunlight streaming in through the window reflected off of Tamaki’s slightly long hair, accentuating its light blue hue. Sougo’s fingers twitched.

_How nice would it be to run his fingers through Tamaki’s hair…_

He observed how broad Tamaki’s back had gotten, a stark contrast from the middle school Tamaki he knew. Tamaki had become much more affectionate, never hesitating to greet Sougo with a hug, place a hand on his shoulder, or ruffle his hair. Sougo himself noticed how he was reacting to Tamaki’s affection as well. When he’s greeted by Tamaki’s hugs, he would wish for the hugs to last longer, wish to bury his face in the crook of Tamaki’s neck. His heart would start racing, and his face would get slightly flushed. When Tamaki would use Sougo’s lap as a pillow for his afternoon naps right before classes started again, Sougo would have the urge to slide his fingers through Tamaki’s hair.

Sougo wasn’t completely ignorant of human feelings. He knew what these signs meant. The young angel heaved a sigh.

How would Sougo have the heart to tell Tamaki that he would have to leave him for good one day?

_“Banri-san… I think I’m straying from my original purpose… If I fell in love with a human, would I still be able to continue as a guardian? Would I really be able to distance myself from this world after my job is done?”_

.

.

.

The seasons flew by, and so did Sougo’s and Tamaki’s graduation ceremony. The next thing Sougo knew, him and Tamaki were sitting in their first class of their first semester of college.

The more time ticked by, the closer the moment Sougo would have to part from Tamaki and Aya creeped on.

 _“You have to tell them sometime soon, Sougo,”_ Sougo reminded himself. _“It’s better to let them know earlier so that they would have enough time to say goodbye to me...and for me to say goodbye to them.”_

Sougo sighed. Trying to distract himself from the impending gloom, he busied himself with preparing the flower bouquet orders the Takanashis had received for the weekend.

_“The President… I wonder how he felt when he met his wife. It must have been an extremely difficult decision for him to go back to being a guardian...and then take a break from his job when he found out that he had a daughter in this world. Maybe I can talk with him… No, I shouldn’t pry or bother him. This is my problem. One I should solve myself.”_

“Sougo-san?” Tsumugi’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Is everything okay? You seem a bit troubled.”

Sougo shook his head and offered Tsumugi a kind smile. “No, it’s nothing to worry about, Tsumugi-san. I was just deep in my own thoughts. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

Tsumugi held up her hands and shook her head. “Oh, that wasn’t the case at all! I was just concerned because it seems like you’ve been under the weather for the past few days.”

“Oh, did I really look that bad?” Sougo asked with a tilt of his head.

Before Tsumugi could answer, the bell above the store door rang, signaling a customer’s entrance.

“Welcome!” Tsumugi and Sougo greeted simultaneously.

“Oh, it’s you, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo recognized. “Good morning! Is there something going on--”  

“I like you.”

The red rose Sougo was holding, to arrange into a bouquet, fell onto the counter.

“I…pardon?” Sougo sputtered, his brain suddenly screeching to a halt.

“I said I like you, Sou-chan,” Tamaki repeated boldly, with pink tinted cheeks, while looking straight into Sougo’s eyes.

Sougo blinked. Once Tamaki’s words really registered in his mind, a bright pink flush crawled up his neck and up to his cheeks.

“I-I think I left the stove on! I’m going to go check, ahaha!” Tsumugi stammered as nervously laughed and dashed away, leaving behind a blushing Sougo and Tamaki.

“Th-That was quite sudden,” Sougo addressed. “Why…”

“I just felt like I had to say it soon,” Tamaki replied. “And if you’re asking why I like you, is that even a question?”

“...Yes…?”

“Sou-chan, for someone who’s pretty good at a lot of things, you can be a bit dumb sometimes.”

“I suddenly don’t know if I’m being insulted or admired,” Sougo said with a blank face.

“I’m saying…” Tamaki propped his elbows on the counter, wove his fingers together, and rested his face on the back of his fingers. “...that you can be dumb because you can’t see how great of a person you are.”

“Um…” Sougo unintelligently muttered.

“You take on a lot of responsibilities, even during middle and high school. You always had a smile on your face when helping others, and whenever one of our classmates lost something, you always stay behind after school for a while and manage to find it somehow. Remember that time in high school when one of our classmates skipped his cleaning duties? You cleaned up instead, when you could have just left.”

Tamaki leaned in further so that his face was just a few inches away from Sougo’s. “You’re my best friend, Sou-chan. But I’ve been seeing you as more than just a friend for some time now. I’ll say it again; I like you.”

The tips of Sougo’s ears were now burning. Upon Tamaki’s 3rd time expressing his feelings, Sougo buried his face in his hands. A warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped his chest, and at the same time Sougo felt like his heart was about to burst.

“Your answer, Sou-chan?” Tamaki prompted.

Sougo worried his lower lip. Would he take this leap? **Should** he take this leap? Experiencing feelings like this was a first for him, and he would give anything to keep on feeling this way if it was with Tamaki.

“I know I said you’re dumb, but I’m an idiot too,” Tamaki continued. He gently hooked his fingers over Sougo’s and slowly peeled Sougo’s hands away from his face.

“I like you,” Sougo finally answered. “Of course, I like you too.”

“Yes!” Tamaki cheered, throwing his arms up. He then hugged Sougo from across the counter and happily laughed. “So we’re dating now, right? We’re together! I’m super happy!”

Sougo reciprocated the hug wholeheartedly. He gripped the back of Tamaki’s shirt tightly. Feelings of unbound happiness as well as impending worry clashed in his heart. “I like you so much, Tamaki-kun.”

_“...Sougo, you idiot…”_

* * *

In the end, Sougo couldn’t bring himself to tell either Tamaki or Aya, which he ended up regretting terribly. The more time Sougo spent with Tamaki, the more his feelings for the boy grew. Although they’ve been dating for quite a while now, Sougo always felt as if he was experiencing the thrill and warmth of first love. His feelings for Tamaki never wavered.

Because of such powerful emotions, Sougo became scared. Scared of telling Tamaki that he had to leave. Scared of Tamaki’s reaction. Scared of what it would do to their relationship.

Unfortunately for Sougo, time waits for no one. He put off talking about his departure…until Aya’s 18th birthday. However, even on her birthday, Sougo still couldn’t tell them. It was Aya’s special day. Sougo wasn’t about to ruin it with talks about him leaving.

Then, the next day arrived. Sougo steeled himself. He **must** tell the siblings that he had to leave tomorrow...

* * *

 

“What do you mean?”

Sougo flinched. He couldn’t bear to look straight at Tamaki’s face right now. The boy was staring at Sougo, boring a hole in Sougo’s conscience with his crestfallen eyes.

“I...have to move back to my hometown,” Sougo repeated slowly, still refusing to meet Tamaki’s gaze.

“...When?”

“Tomorrow...”

Tamaki sucked in a breath. “At least…you made it in time for Aya’s birthday.”

“Of course! I’m not going to miss Aya-chan’s birthday.” Sougo reached out to take Tamaki’s hand in his. “I’m sorry I’m telling you this so late. There was… a family emergency, and I’m needed back home.”

_Lies_

“Okay…” Tamaki muttered. He intertwined his fingers with Sougo’s and brought their hands up to his cheek. Nuzzling the back of Sougo’s hand, Tamaki continued, “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

A sharp stab pierced Sougo’s heart. He took a step towards Tamaki and, using his other hand, stroked the back of his head. “I...don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Tamaki’s shoulders sagged as his expression turned grim. With quivering lips, Tamaki shakily said, “Then, will you go on one last date with me today?”

With one hand on the back of Tamaki’s neck, Sougo brought him in for an intimate hug.

“Of course.”

.

.

.

“Thank you very much for letting me stay with you and Tsumugi-san. During these past years you treated me as if I was truly your nephew. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, Takanashi-san.” Sougo bowed deeply, creating an almost perfect right angle.

“It’s my pleasure, Sougo-kun,” Otoharu replied. “You got along so well with Tsumugi, I almost didn’t want to break the news to her that you were leaving soon.”

“I’m honored that you thought so. I’m going to miss her a lot as well.” Sougo straightened himself. “However, I do hope that I can visit once in a while. I find that it’s...quite difficult to completely let go of this quaint little shop.”

“Sougo-kun, you’re welcome to come by anytime you wish. Tsumugi and I will always welcome you back with open arms.”

“Thank you very much, President. ...Are you sure you won’t be returning…?”

“I think I’ve pretty much made this my home now. It may sound selfish of me, since I’ve dragged this on for so long before I made a concrete decision, but I would like to continue living in this world as Otoharu Takanashi, and not as the overseer of the guardians.”

“I see… You have done so much not only for me but for the other guardian angels as well. What you are doing is not selfish, President. I think it’s important to think about one’s well being too. I’m sure Banri-san agrees that you deserve this. He’s already doing an amazing job in your place.”

“Banri will be officially inheriting my position very soon, since my resignation is finally going to be official. He has been keeping in touch with me, as you know, and I can see that he’s already a great president.”

“He is. I look forward to working more with Banri-san.”

“...Sougo-kun, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider staying?”

“Honestly, right now, I would love to stay. I would really love to. But, I think I’m still needed as a guardian,” Sougo answered. “One day, if it’s possible, I would like to follow your footsteps as well, President.”

“Take your time, Sougo-kun,” Otoharu calmly advised. “I understand that you have to take care of your current responsibilities. Deciding what direction you want your life to go to is difficult, but since it’s you, Sougo-kun, I believe you’ll be able to come to a decision with a clear head.”

“I’m happy to hear that you think so,” Sougo thanked. Then, with a final bow, he promised, “I will see you again sometime soon, President. Please keep on taking care of Tsumugi-san, and if Tamaki-kun and Aya-chan comes by to visit, please take of them for me too. I will definitely be back again.”

Sougo bowed one last time to Otoharu, and leapt into the air, spreading his wings.

“Oh, may I ask you or Tsumugi-san for one last favor?” Sougo asked before he took off. “This morning, I prepared two bouquets; one for Tamaki-kun and one of Aya-chan. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you to ask Tsumugi-san to give the bouquets to them? I have also attached a card on each bouquet. Thank you so much again.”

* * *

_Dear Aya-chan._

_I hope you had a great 18th birthday! I’m so sorry I had to leave so suddenly, but I had a family problem that needed my attention. Aya-chan, you’ve grown to become a kind, talented, and overall amazing young woman. I’m glad I had the chance to befriend you and Tamaki-kun, and spend most of my current years with you two. I enjoyed every moment I had with you and Tamaki-kun._

_I’ve also arranged a bouquet for you, Aya-chan! I included white freesias and geraniums. If you’re curious about what the language for these flowers mean, please feel free to ask Tsumugi-san!_

_Thank you for being friends with this quite boring, Sougo Osaka, Aya-chan. I’ll be sure to see you again one day. Until then, please take good care of yourself!_

_All the best,_

_Sougo_

\---

_Tamaki-kun, thank you._

_You were my best friend for so many years. You’ve given me so many new experiences and I’ve developed new feelings that I never thought I would know._

_Thank you so much, for being my friend and my first love. You’re such a wonderful person who has supported and encouraged me multiple times. I hope I was able to give you the same support that you gave me. I’m sorry for leaving so soon, but we will meet again. As I have said, I’m not sure when exactly that will be, but I’m sure that one day we’ll reunite._

_Just like I left Aya-chan a bouquet, I made you one as well! For your bouquet, I used forget-me-nots and sweet pea flowers. The blue color of the forget-me-nots remind me so much of your eyes. Not to mention, blue is your favorite color, isn’t it? As for the sweet peas, don’t you think its purple color goes well with the blues of the forget-me-nots? However, colors aren’t the only reason I chose these flowers. Both of them have associated meanings. However, I’ll leave it to you to figure it out! ^-^_

_Thank you so much for all these years, Tamaki-kun. I love you. I wish you the best in anything and everything you strive for._

_Love,_

_Sougo_

* * *

.

.

.

_[2 years later]_

“Onii-chan! There you are!” Aya jumped on Tamaki, and thankfully her older brother successfully caught her on reflex. “You said you’d be late for my performance.”

“I told you that just in case I would be late,” Tamaki laughed. “Look at you, Aya. My little sister, president of the drama club. And you’re already in your second year of college! I’m so proud of you, Aya.”

“Onii-chan, you praise me too much,” Aya teased. “You should go ahead and look around, or grab a seat. I have to get going soon.”

A few feet away, a floating Sougo watched over the siblings’ exchange with a warm expression. Still in his angel form, Sougo was invisible to the humans around him, and thus was free to float around the venue. He watched as Aya and Tamaki exchanged one more hug before Aya was needed backstage. When Tamaki started to head towards the seats, Sougo stared after him for a while before levitating up to get a good view of the stage.

The performance was advertised to be a dramatic tragedy, and Sougo was slightly surprised and proud to see how Aya’s and her club’s performance brought the audience to tears. Admittedly, Sougo himself was brought to the verge of tears. He reasoned that it could be a combination of the impact of the performance as well as the nostalgia of seeing Tamaki and Aya again.

“It’s been 2 years, already?” Sougo murmured to himself as he landed on the ground and started exiting the venue, blending in with the crowd although he was still invisible to the human eye. “Both Aya-chan and Tamaki-kun are doing so well…”

Sougo wandered all around campus, reminiscing the days he spent at that same college. He came to check up on Tamaki and Aya again, and perhaps also go and see them in his human form. However, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

_“It’s been 2 years… How would Aya-chan react to not seeing me for 2 years? How would Tamaki-kun react to me not being able to keep in contact? Maybe he’s even moved on…”_

Thoughts like these consumed Sougo’s mind as he kept wandering.

“I knew it.”

With a surprised yelp, Sougo’s wings almost gave out. He whipped around to see exactly who called out to him. It surely couldn’t have been a human; he was still shrouded.

“Wha--”

Just as he got over the initial shock, Sougo got yanked by the wrist and fell right into a taller man’s chest. Sougo’s fight or flight response would have kicked in at this moment... if it was any other human who called out to Sougo.

“Tamaki-kun…?”

“You’re finally back.”

Releasing his grip on Sougo’s wrist, Tamaki wrapped his arms around Sougo’s waist and pulled him in, tighter. As if on reflex, Sougo’s eyes closed as his arms encircled Tamaki’s torso too, melting into Tamaki’s warmth

The taller man pressed a kiss on the top of Sougo’s head. “You still have the wings,” Tamaki muttered into Sougo’s hair.

Sougo’s eyes flew open. “Wings? You can see them?”

“Yeah,” Tamaki answered. “You were the one I saw wasn’t it? When I was really young?”

Sougo’s jaw almost dropped. Gripping Tamaki’s arms, he swiftly pulled himself away to get a good look at Tamaki’s face. “You remember?!”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“Yes? Usually when someone’s as young as you were at that time, they usually don’t remember as much--”

“Sou-chan, why do you think I’d forget seeing someone with _wings_?”

Sougo blinked. “I mean… you have a point, but as you got older, didn’t you ever think that it was weird? How come you didn’t write me off as an imaginary friend?”

“When you showed up at school, you really looked like that angel I saw. So I didn’t think I was hallucinating. Also didn’t you say I had a guardian angel too? How come I never saw who mine was?”

“You remember up to that detail?” Sougo squeaked. “Um, don’t be mad but...I lied. You didn’t have one.”

“How come?”

“It was because you either didn’t need one or...there wasn’t an angel compatible enough,” Sougo explained.

“Huh,” Tamaki muttered. He then shrugged and continued, “Well, I guess I turned out fine. I had you too. You’re compatible enough.”

“Technically I was only Aya-chan’s guardian.”

“Just go with the flow, Sou-chan.”

“O-Oh, well...okay then,” Sougo gave in.

“And you know what? It doesn’t matter if you a human or guardian angel or whatever. I’m super happy that I met you and that I was able to see you in this form.”

“I still can’t figure out how it’s possible for you to see me like this,” Sougo wondered, in awe. He reached up to run his fingers through Tamaki’s hair, like he used to when they were dating while Sougo was still human.

“I don’t either, but at this point, I’m not questioning it. I’m glad I was able to spot you. Knowing you, Sou-chan, you were thinking of just disappearing again weren’t you?”

Guiltily, Sougo shifted his eyes to the side. “...I just wanted you and Aya-chan to continue living your lives. I was supposed to be just a temporary guardian. I didn’t even show myself to my past charges… Aya-chan was the first one. You two were the first humans I ever truly interacted with.”

“I’m happy you did!” Tamaki interrupted, beaming. “I’m glad we met. I’m glad we grew up together. And… I’m glad that you are my first love.”

With just those words, Sougo’s face turned an embarrassing shade of red. “Ah-- um… I’m… glad too. In the past, I had never really given much thought to romance. I was always focused on working and making sure I was doing a good job looking over my charges.” Sougo brought his gaze back to meet Tamaki’s, the start of a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m glad I decided to experience what it was like to be human. I’m glad I was able to share that experience with you and Aya-chan. And just like you, I’m glad you are my first love.”

“Wow, Sou-chan you’ve become better at saying what you feel,” Tamaki teased. Before Sougo could retort, the taller man cupped Sougo’s cheeks with both of his hands and leaned down, capturing Sougo’s lips in a kiss.

A small, surprised squeak escaped Sougo’s lips. It didn’t take long before he too let his eyes fall shut, and reciprocate Tamaki’s kiss. Sougo, once again, wrapped his arms around Tamaki and brought himself closer, so that they were flush against each other’s bodies.

After they broke the kiss, Tamaki stared at Sougo in awe. “Sou-chan, you’ve become bolder. It’s a nice change!”

Sougo cleared his throat. “W-Well, you did mention in the past that I could be more forward…”

“I did!” Tamaki agreed. “You remembered it too.”

“I did. I remember a lot of things you told me, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo replied. “Also, if anyone came by and saw us they’d probably think you were just kissing the air,” Sougo pointed out before breaking into a chuckle.

“Whatever,” Tamaki muttered. “I don’t really care what they’d think. You’re back now, so of course I’m super happy! I tried to message you and call you so many times but your phone was always out of service and you never saw my messages! I wanted to talk to you so many times too, but I could never reach you. I didn’t want to give up on you either, even though some of my friends advised that I should. That was so mean of you, Sou-chan, to not tell me that your phone’s not gonna work.”

“Ah… Maybe I should’ve told you before I left that trying to contact me wouldn’t really work… I don’t know how that slipped my mind.”

“Maybe cuz you were having looots of fun on our last date that you totally forgot to tell me important stuff,” Tamaki teased.  
Sougo chuckled. “Well, I’ll be honest. That’s not too far-fetched of a theory.”

Tamaki too broke into a bright grin and joined Sougo in laughter.

_Reunited at last..._

Once their laughter died down, Sougo spoke, “Tamaki-kun, I think...I’m ready to tell you about me. Not about Sougo, your childhood friend, but about Sougo, Aya Yotsuba’s guardian angel. It will be a long story but, won’t you sit and listen?”

Tamaki reached out to take Sougo’s hand and intertwine their fingers together. He leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss on the top of Sougo’s head.

“Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh hello there! I hope you all enjoyed this ride!
> 
> Out of the prompts I got for the exchange, I really liked both the flower shop and guardian angel prompts, so I wanted to kiiiind of combine them, and this fic happened ;; ^^;; HHHHH so at first, I wasn’t planning on making it…. This long… but then I kept writing, and there were so many plot points that kept popping up and that I wanted to hit in this fic, but then I was running out of time, and I didn’t want to rush the story too much so I decided to make the fic in this format, with snippets of Tama’s and Sou’s daily lives ;w; I do hope it was okay though, and that you enjoyed it! Please feel free to leave me comments as well!! I love reading them!
> 
> Oh! Also, these were the hanakotoba I found while I was searching online:  
> Freesia: Innocence, Friendship, trust  
> Geranium: True friendship, gentility  
> Forget-me-not: True love, Memories  
> Sweet pea: Departure, good-bye, tender memory, blissful pleasure


End file.
